Alternate natural gas pipeline route offered through county

By Denise Larive, Journal Register News Service

Thursday, March 28, 2013

UNION TWP. — In order to protect environmentally-sensitive areas and township residents’ property rights, the supervisors recently offered an alternate route to Commonwealth Pipeline for a proposed natural gas line it wants to build through Chester and Berks counties.

Supervisors’ Chairman Donald E. Basile and Supervisor Nelson L. Ott Jr. said the township’s best plan for managing the 30-inch natural gas pipeline proposal was to offer an alternate installation route that would follow public right-of-ways or go under roads.

Basile said the township’s best option for the 120-mile pipeline from Lycoming County through Chester County would be for it to be installed along the Pennsylvania Turnpike to Eagle.

He and Ott said the proposed resolution would include the alternate route, away from Hopewell Big Woods and other environmentally-sensitive areas.

Basile said the Feb. 20 “special joint meeting” of five Chester County municipalities, as well as Union Township, indicated that the other municipalities would write resolutions opposing the pipeline.

“It needs to be a coordinated effort to the (alternative) routes and impact to the properties could be reduced,” said Basile, adding that the township has attempted to contact Commonwealth Pipeline, but the “phone line goes dead.”

Commonwealth’s project is slated to be an installation of 120 miles of 30-inch pipeline from the middle of Pennsylvania through North Coventry, South Coventry, Warwick, West Vincent and Union townships.

Basile said it is likely that the private company’s permit would be approved by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

“The system by which the permit is issued is not a very good system,” Basile said. “All the environmental protections are absolutely negated by this process. Property owners’ rights are taken away if a permit is obtained. The pipeline is not a public utility, but a private company.”

Basile said the township’s proposed alternate route wouldn’t destroy any environmental features, including the “exceptional value stream” on his property.

The Chester County commissioners have planned a public meeting for April 10 to develop a Pipeline Notification Protocol that will create a communications strategy for dealing with pipeline proposals. The meeting will be held at 7 p.m. in the annex meeting room of the Henrietta Hankin Library, 215 Windgate Drive, Chester Springs.